A Prophetic Voice in Jewish, Multireligious, and American Life

MayDay for Our Millennium

Dear lovers of the earth,

Goot yontif! (Yiddish for “Good festival!”)

For the sake of uniting the May Day of spring and earth that we danced around a Maypole in my public elementary school each year, with my zeyde’s May Day of freedom, equality, and democratic socialism; and
with love for the place that is our planet, enfolded in the Place beyond all places — Shalom, Arthur

May Day for Our Millennium:
Joy and Struggle

by Arthur Waskow

(Sung to the tune of the Internationale)

Arise, ye prisoners of pollution; Arise, ye poisoned of the earth.

All Life demands a revolution, Our planet seeks new birth.
No more the smoke & fumes shall choke us, Arise! and clear the poisoned pall;

Each species whispers condemnation — “You thought us
nought; But we are All!”
We seek the joyful struggle;We celebrate our Place.The love of all Creation Shall unite the human race!

(In the early days of radio aboard ships and planes, “Mayday!!” = “M’aidez = “Help me!” — A version of “SOS.” Listen to the earth crying it out today. )

-Copyright © 1998, 1999 by Arthur WaskowCheck out our
website www.shalomctr.org — especially the Green Menorah section

Rabbi Arthur Waskow, author/ editor of Down-to-Earth Judaism, Torah of the Earth, and Trees, Earth, & Torah: A Tu B’Shvat Anthology; co-author, The Tent of Abraham; director, The Shalom Center. which
voices a new prophetic agenda in Jewish, multireligious, and American life. To receive the weekly on-line Shalom Report, click on –http://www.shalomctr.org/subscribe

Matthew Brett is the Canadian Dimension weblog editor and a Montreal-based journalist at a weekly newspaper. Read other posts by Canadian Dimension.